In-home care concerns

More people have contacted The Local to speak out against in-home care provider, Benetas.

One of them, a male who asked not to be identified, said the service was "a shambles" and he was thinking of quitting because of the stress of trying to get regular carers for himself and his home.

The man said the carers were all "great people" but they were being let down by Benetas and its lack of organisation.

Benetas took over the Commonwealth Home Support Programme from the Hepburn Shire Council 12 months ago.

A woman, quoted in the last edition of The Local, (June 19) said she had a number of concerns with the service.

They included the cost of using the in-home CHSP care services rising by around 130 per cent for her, with the changes becoming effective from July 1.

The woman, who also asked not to be identified, said there was also a lack of support workers, saying it was sometimes just the "luck of the draw if your support worker arrives on the day allotted to you".

A Benetas spokesperson told The Local the organisation was concerned about the experiences that had been raised.

"We would like to assure our clients and the community that we are improving our systems and processes to provide consistent support.

"As a not-for-profit provider, our absolute focus is on ensuring that we can provide our clients with a level of service that is appropriate and supports the diverse health needs of the local community.

"As the broader health and aged care sector continues to experience workforce challenges in regional Victoria, we are making every effort to ensure that our valued clients in the Hepburn area receive the most consistent care possible.

"We encourage any of our clients who may be experiencing difficulties with their service to contact us to discuss their individual circumstances and how we may assist them."

Hepburn Shire Council CEO Bradley Thomas said the council had continued to work with both new aged care and disability service providers, Benetas and mecwacare, after the transition of service delivery in July 2022.

“Council has received both positive feedback about the transition, and a very small number of concerns from clients, relating to scheduling and communication around the services they receive.

“In these instances, council has worked with the new provider to ensure client needs are met and have supported clients to engage with the service providers directly where appropriate, with positive outcomes.

“Council continues to work actively in the positive ageing space, undertaking a number of actions to support our community and on priorities for access and inclusion for people living with disability, in addition to the services provided by Benetas and mecwacare.”

In regards to the increase in pricing, a Benetas spokesperson was quoted in the June 19 edition, saying that in order to keep pace with cost of living increases and supplier charges, there had been a review of the organisation's pricing.

"This has resulted in price increases for some services, in line with pricing recommended by the government."

“As a not-for-profit organisation, it is essential that we remain competitive on pricing compared to other service providers in the market, so we can provide the best level of care for our clients in the long term.

“In order to keep pace with cost of living increases and supplier charges, we have recently completed a review of our pricing schedule. This has resulted in price increases for some services, in line with pricing recommended by the government.

“We continue to invest in improving the services we provide and in supporting our team members with appropriate remuneration in recognition of the important contribution they make in caring for our clients.”

Do you have feedback on your service provider?

Email donna@tlnews.com.au

Words: Eve Lamb & Donna Kelly